


Nobody needs to know

by ChickenXD



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic, M/M, Moral Ambiguity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-02 10:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8664940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickenXD/pseuds/ChickenXD
Summary: Shuu and Yuuya unexpectedly... have a relationship and it's good??





	1. Chapter 1

“Leaving early, Iwamine-sensei?”

Shuu nodded as he got up from his seat. 

“I mean, everyone’s probably gone home at this point,” Shuu said, “I trust you two won’t have any trouble closing up.”

“Leave it to us, Iwamine-sensei,” Yuuya said with a reassuring smile, “Also, Hiyoko may be new, but she’s really good at this!”

“I mean, you’ve had to close the place on your own a few times before, so I trust you guys can do it,” Shuu replied as he gathered his things and put it into his drawer, “Remember, do not clean my desk.”

“You got it, sir.”

Shuu walked by Yuuya before walking out of the door, leaning over him and whispering –

“...see you tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

And so Shuu opened the door and walked out. 

 

“Okay, I guess we should hurry and finish this so we can leave,” Yuuya said as he finished sweeping the floor. “I’ll go take out the trash.”

Hiyoko turned to look at Yuuya, slightly confused. 

“What did Iwamine-sensei tell you, Yuuya…?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“But he leaned in like, really close to you to say it,” Hiyoko said, slightly concerned – “You sure it’s okay? He’s not threatening you or anything, right?”

“Yeah, he just reminded me to do something, nothing more.”

“Well, why can’t he say it out loud, then?”

“Hiyoko, I’ll really be fine,” Yuuya said, throwing in his winning smile – “Don’t worry about it.”

~•~

_ “Sakazaki, are you awake?” _

“How did you get my number, sensei?”

_ “You live near the school, right? I left my notebook in the infirmary, can you get it and deliver it to my house?” _

“...is this really you, Iwamine-sensei?”

_ “It’s a red notebook with a black bird at the front. Please bring it to me in an hour.” _

“Wait, where do you even live…”

Shuu hung up then, leaving Yuuya very confused. 

But still, at this point, he really had no option but to go to school and do exactly as Shuu asked him to. 

 

Shuu texted him an address a few minutes later, which Yuuya immediately looked up – according to the internet, it was an apartment, and at this point Yuuya really had no choice but just do it. 

There was a bit of doubt and paranoia in his heart about whether Shuu was just trying to lure him into a trap, or whether he genuinely needed the damn notebook –

Yuuya carried a knife with him, just in case. 

 

As Yuuya entered the infirmary, the thought crossed his mind –

Didn’t Shuu always tell him and Hiyoko to never touch his desk and anything within a meter’s radius? And yet now, that’s exactly what Shuu had asked him to do…

 

He arrived at what was supposed to be Shuu’s apartment forty minutes later, knocked on the door –

And expectedly, or unexpectedly, Shuu opened the door immediately. 

“There you are,” he greeted, his voice as cold as usual, “Thank you.”

“Will that be all you need?”

“Yes,” Shuu replied, “Come on in.”

“Eh?”

“I mean, you took the time and effort to come here anyway. Why are you rushing to go home?”

_ Because you’re suspicious and I have no idea if you’re trying to kill me or not? _

“Well, I…”

“You’ve got a test tomorrow? Homework?” Shuu asked, “You’re not really the kind to worry about school though, are you?”

“I suppose... no?”

“Just come in for… tea or something, whatever,” Shuu said with a sigh.

At this point, Yuuya didn’t really have the heart to refuse, so he stepped in, letting Shuu close the door behind him. 

 

Shuu’s house was… somewhat messy. It was pretty bad, with a few old clothes and dirty lab coats lying on the floor and some leftover food on the table, but still not bad. 

“What do you want to drink?”

“Anything’s fine.”

Shuu took out a bottle of apple juice from the fridge, poured it out into a glass, and handed it for Yuuya. 

“...you’re not really in a hurry to get the notebook, are you?” Yuuya asked, “You asked me to get it to you in an hour, so I thought it was important…”

“No, I’m just lonely,” Shuu replied, “I’m glad you actually came here, though.”

“I mean, I thought it was something important,” Yuuya said, “You could’ve just invited me over if you want company, you know?”

“But you wouldn’t actually come if that’s all I said, would you?”

“I mean, I’d try my best, I guess.”

Yuuya swore he could see Shuus’ eyes light up a little upon hearing that.

 

Yuuya had no idea how things got to this level either, so he wasn’t that surprised that Hiyoko found it strange.

Shuu didn’t exactly invite him to come over until a few weeks later, and it was much simpler this time too, just a text saying ‘do you have time’ – 

Yuuya did show up, carrying his books and homework, and he pretty much spent the night doing them while Shuu drank coffee and did his own thing.

Yuuya couldn’t help but worry a little about whether or not Shuu is… sincere with his intentions, but at least he didn’t seem to be trying to sell Yuuya out to his Hawk friends.

...and Yuuya could imagine that Shuu would be a pretty lonely man, too, judging by the look on his face as he escorted Yuuya out that night.

~•~

“Why did you need to go early today, anyway?”

“Oh, just… a meeting,” Shuu replied as he flipped through the book he was reading, “Nothing important, although I do need to attend it.”

“Did you eat before coming home?”

Shuu was silent for a while, and Yuuya could only take it as a ‘no’. Shuu is pretty bad with self-care, as Yuuya had discovered.

“I’ll make you something. Or do you want to order pizza?”

“...I’m not hungry.”

“Well, you still need to eat. Your body needs the energy, you know?” Yuuya said as he went over to look at the fridge, full of old leftover foods from god knows when – “You know what, I’ll just order pizza.”

“Yuuya, you don’t need to do this…”

“Shh… Iwamine-sensei, it’s okay,” Yuuya said as he dialed a number on his phone, “Any preference for toppings?”

Shuu could only sigh – 

“Anything’s fine.”

 

“So do you have a lot of homework?”

“I mean, it’s close to finals, so there’s been a bit more,” Yuuya replied as he took out his notes and laid them on the table, “Why did you ask?”

“No, just wondering how school never really got into your… other activities.”

“If I think I know what you’re talking about, then that one certainly takes precedence.”

“And yet here you are, mingling with your target more than you’re supposed to.”

Yuuya stopped for a second, before turning to Shuu with a smile on his face.

“Well, speak for yourself, Isa-sensei,” Yuuya said, “You clearly know I’m not on your side, and yet you’re letting me come this close to you…

“Or is this some part of a grand scheme to get rid of me and all the surveillance around you?”

“Not really,” Shuu answered, quickly and decisively, “I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.”

“What does it have to do with me?”

Shuu was silent for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh.

“I don’t know. Having you here just makes it easier, somehow.

“Anyway, if you’re not too busy, do you think you can spend the night here?”

Yuuya turned to Shuu, clearly surprised.

“Wait, are you sure this is okay?” Yuuya asked – ”Like, this would not only be crossing the Hawk and Dove relationship line, but also the student and teacher line…”

“What? I won’t do anything to you.”

“...you saying that is as convincing as Anghel calling me a fallen knight.”

“Really, I won’t do anything,” Shuu reassured, “You don’t have to, I was just… asking.”

Yuuya considered this for a while – 

Even if Shuu said he won’t do anything, a Hawk could still come in the middle of the night and take him away. Shuu wouldn’t be doing anything to him then, the Hawks would be. 

“...I mean, you really won’t do anything to me? I’ll get out of here in one piece?”

Shuu sighed, “I don’t know why I’m not convincing enough, but yes, you will. You can sleep on the couch and I won’t bother you.”

“Good enough,” Yuuya said with a sigh.

  
  


Shuu then proceeded to go into his room, and found a file on the table. 

He’d brought it home earlier after the Hawk party meeting, and kind of forgot that it was there…

He sighed as he took the file and put it into the drawer. He then looked out of the door, checking if Yuuya was watching what he’d done.

...not that Yuuya would know what the file was about. He probably wouldn’t care either way.

 

It’s felt strangely calming since Yuuya started visiting him, although he really didn’t do much except being in the apartment and doing his own thing…

_...maybe it’s a good that he’s here. _

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The mere exposure effect.

It is said that prolonged exposure to something will cause you to develop new feelings towards it.

 

“We’ve read over your report. It seems like the project is going well.”

“Yes,” Shuu replied, “As long as things continue our way, I aim for a sample to be done in about two months, and with some refining, hopefully we would have implemented it before the end of the year.”

“That’s good to hear. Please don’t hesitate to take your time in making it perfect.”

“What are you talking about? Iwamine here has never disappointed us, has he?”

“By the way, surely you’ve been aware of the Dove Party’s activities in the school, yes?”

A man handed out a file to Shuu, so he took it.

“I mean, we agreed to make St. Pigeonation’s a pacifist school, and since they’re letting us do our project through you, I suppose it’s not a surprise there would be someone spying on you.”

Shuu opened the file, and it contained just what he expected.

A mugshot of Yuuya, complete with his information – name, birthdate, address, affiliations, family members…

Shuu couldn’t say he was surprised by this, but on the other hand, he could feel his heart sink upon seeing it.

“We can’t really take any action within the school, but we’ll be certain to send someone after him,” the man said, “Until then, just try your best to avoid him, I guess.”

“Have you ever seen this spy?”

“A few times,” Shuu replied calmly, “But we never really interacted.”

“Just keep your eyes on him. I guess you can take action on your own, as long as it doesn’t seem raise suspicion among his allies.”

Shuu nodded as he closed the file. 

“Thank you for great work, Iwamine-sensei,” the man said, “All this work you’ve done will surely help us accomplish a truly peaceful world.”

~•~

Maybe Shuu shouldn’t be surprised that they found out Yuuya’s true identity as a spy. He himself figured it out quite a while ago himself, when he noticed Yuuya lurking around after school near the incinerator a few times. And also there was that one time Hiyoko lied for him, saying that he was outside although he really hadn’t. 

Hiyoko… has certainly been a problem. 

Putting her as an infirmary assistant was a mistake after all, since she would now notice if anything was going on between the two of them, good or bad – 

Considering Shuu’s reputation, she would probably not give him the benefit of the doubt and suspect him immediately.

 

Either way, it’s a good thing that Yuuya was willing to stay the night at Shuu’s place, because at least he got to keep an eye on him.

 

_...this is unlike me.  _

_ Why do I care so much about Yuuya, who might actually be dangerous? He’s probably sent here to kill me or hand me to the authorities.  _

_ And yet, I just can’t help but do this. I want to keep him by my side.  _

_ I haven’t felt like this towards someone since Kawara-sensei died, and yet… _

_ Out of everyone, it had to be him, the one person who’s potentially dangerous. _

~•~

“Wakey wakey, sensei.”

Shuu slowly blinked his eyes open upon feeling someone shake his body gently. 

A sweet smell was lingering in the house – it smelt like food.

He slowly rolled around, and saw Yuuya standing by the side of the bed. He was already dressed in uniform, his hair done and all.

“Man, how do you live like this?” Yuuya asked as he started picking up the books and papers on Shuu’s bed, “Did you fall asleep while working?”

Shuu watched him while trying to remember – he couldn’t really remember what time he went to bed last night. He remembered being very unproductive because he had a lot on his head, though.

“Where should I put these? In this drawer here?”

“No,” Shuu replied, his voice suddenly tinged with urgency – “Just… just leave it on the desk. I’ll get to it later.”

“Okay,” Yuuya said as he laid it down there – “Don’t worry, I haven’t gone through any of your things.”

“You expect me to buy that?”

“I mean, you’re not in jail yet.”

_ And you haven’t run out of here screaming yet, _ Shuu thought,  _ I suppose he really hasn’t done anything.  _

“Anyway, I made breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Shuu replied as he sat up, “Also, where did you get your uniform from?”

“I went home earlier to get it,” Yuuya replied, “I guess I borrowed your key for an hour. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Shuu replied, “I was thinking of giving you a key anyway.”

Yuuya turned to look at Shuu, surprised, but then started laughing.

“Are you gonna do my job for me or what, Iwamine-sensei?”

“If I want you to make dinner for me one night, you’ll need to enter the house somehow.”

“And why should I be the one to cook you dinner?”

Shuu sighed, “Well, it’s just a possibility.”

“I kind of need to go now,” Yuuya said as he turned to leave, “See you at school, Iwamine-sensei.”

Shuu only watched as Yuuya left the bedroom, walked out of the door, and closed it behind him.

 

_ If this is something as simple as the mere exposure effect, then the most logical course of action would be to limit exposure, wouldn’t it?  _

_ It shouldn’t be difficult to do that. I’d just need to remove him from the infirmary staff position, or I can just take him out. _

_...but I don’t really want to. Why? _

~•~

“This is for you.”

Yuuya turned to Shuu, who was handing Yuuya a small envelope.

The infirmary was pretty much empty, and Hiyoko wasn’t there yet. 

“What’s that?”

“A spare key to my place.”

“I’m not taking it,” Yuuya replied with a sigh, “Especially not if you’re just gonna…”

“Make me dinner tonight. I’ll be coming home late.”

“I said no,” Yuuya insisted, “I’ll visit you if I have time.”

“But if nobody cooks me dinner, I won’t have anything to eat.”

“There’s always delivery pizza.”

“I want to taste your cooking,” Shuu said, “The pancakes you made this morning were delicious.”

“...that’s it? That’s your reasoning?” 

Suddenly they both heard the door open –

With a sigh, Yuuya took the envelope from Shuu’s hands and stuffed it into his pocket. 

“Excuse me~”

Kazuaki walked in wobbly, holding a small pillow in his hands – he waved hello to Yuuya, who only smiled nervously.

“Nanaki-sensei, don’t sleep here,” Shuu quickly warned. 

“Ehh? But it’s lunchtime anyway,” Kazuaki said as he walked towards one of the beds, “If teachers are allowed to go out for lunch, why not sleep in for lunch?”

“I’m not saying you’re not allowed to nap during work, but not here. I’m doing dangerous things.”

“You say that, but Sakazaki-kun is allowed here~”

“Well, he’s not sleeping like you are.”

“I… I think I’ll go get lunch now,” Yuuya said as he slowly walked out of the infirmary, “See you after school, Iwamine-sensei.”

 

It was quiet for a while after Yuuya left.

Kazuaki was still lying down in his bed, although not asleep yet, and Shuu was busying himself by writing some things down on his notebooks.

“What did you give Sakazaki-kun?” Kazuaki asked casually, “Drugs?”

“...that’s none of your business.”

“I can’t believe Iwamine-sensei is a drug dealer! And you’re operating within the school too, under the guise of a doctor…”

“It’s not a drug.”

“Then what is it? It doesn’t look big enough to be an envelope for money,” Kazuaki pressed, “Although he should receive compensation for putting up with you everyday.”

“Nanaki-sensei, I told you you can’t sleep here.”

“Well, I’m not sleeping anymore,” Kazuaki replied as he sat up, “So tell me, what’s up between you two?”

“It’s none of your business,” Shuu repeated, “And now that you’re awake, please escort yourself out of the room.”

“But this means something  _ is _ going on, right?”

“I told you it’s none of your business,” Shuu sighed, “Now get out of here.”

 

“Sheesh, why am I still dealing with this anyway?”

Yuuya looked at the key Shuu just gave him, and put it back in his pocket. 

At this point, he really could just give the key to Leone, tell him it’s Shuu’s, and let them handle the rest. That’s essentially all he needs to do for this mission, after all, and then he’ll be sent out of Japan, probably back home to France, or to another mission…

 

_ But he clearly isn’t doing anything to me or reporting me to the Hawks, or else I’d be dead meat by now. _

_ What is he trying to achieve this way? Does he really just want company? Because at this point, I’m inclined to think that, although choosing me as said company is a rather strange choice. _

_...I guess as long as it’s not compromising my mission or my safety, I can go along with it. Maybe I’ll even find out something useful. _

~•~

“Wow.”

Shuu came home to find Yuuya standing by the sink, busy scrubbing a pan with some soap. He was wearing a bright red polkadot apron too – Shuu remembered buying it, although he never used it because he never cooked. Yuuya looked a bit ridiculous in it, although if he was able to see the full range of the spectrum he was certain it would look even more ridiculous.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Shuu remarked as he walked into his apartment – he could see two plates of rice on the table, a bowl of salad and some fried chicken.

“Well, I almost didn’t come,” Yuuya said, clearly annoyed, “But now that I’m here, you’d better eat that.”

“Thank you, Yuuya,” Shuu said, “It’s useful having you around here after all.”

“Shut up.”

Shuu walked over anyways, circling his arm around Yuuya’s waist to pull him closer before giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

Yuuya turned to look at Shuu with a frown, but didn’t say anything. 

“Will you stay the night?”

“...what if I say no?”

“Well, I’ll ask again in half an hour.”

Yuuya could only sigh as he turned back to washing dishes, “Goodness.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Is something going on between you and Iwamine-sensei?”

Hiyoko asked that very casually during lunch. Sakuya and Ryouta though, who were sitting next to her, did something similar to a double take upon hearing that.

“Wait, what do you mean, Hiyoko?”

“I’m just asking, I’m not implicating anything or anyone…”

“What is this relationship you speak of?” Sakuya asked immediately, “Is it something that would… cause unpleasant rumors?”

“Ah, no, you guys misunderstood,” Yuuya said with a smile, “There’s nothing particular going on between us, aside from me being his assistant.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Yuuya replied, nodding – “Really.”

~•~

It’s just been bizarre, but not that Yuuya’s not enjoying it.

Shuu has been… surprisingly kind to him. He now found himself spending nights at Shuu’s place although he just sleeps on the couch – when he stays he makes breakfast, but he only makes dinner if Shuu specifically asked him to.

Today is different, though, since it’s Friday night, and Shuu was, for some reason, acting incredibly spoiled – so far he’d asked Yuuya to make dinner, clean the house and do some general housekeeping, stay the night…

“Why am I still doing this?” Yuuya asked himself as he turned off the stove, “He clearly doesn’t need me here. Is this just a trap?”

This has been going on for a few months now, and everyone in school pretty much got the hint what was going on. Leone had been asking him too, although Yuuya tried his best to just sell it as ‘trying to gain information’, although that was clearly not what he was doing.

He heard the door creak open behind him, and turned around to see Shuu walking out of his room, wearing a red Christmas sweater and shorts. 

And sure, it’s rare to see Shuu wear anything other than what he wears to work, but it was too funny to see Shuu wearing something like that – Yuuya couldn’t help but chuckle a little, much to Shuu’s annoyance.

“Shut up,” Shuu sighed, “Just shut up.”

“I never knew you’re the kind who likes ugly sweaters, Iwamine-sensei.”

“Dr. Kawara gave it to me, okay?” Shuu sighed as he walked over to Yuuya, “What are you making?”

“Just some spaghetti and mushrooms.”

“I really appreciate you being here,” Shuu said, leaning in to peck Yuuya’s cheek – “Thank you, Yuuya.”

Yuuya only sighed – 

It would be wrong to say that he was forced to stay here with Shuu, but on the other hand, he couldn’t really see himself doing this if he was in his right mind either. He’s supposed to be spying on Shuu after all, and not cooking for him.

Everything has certainly taken an unexpected turn. 

 

“Let’s do something fun tonight.”

“...does it involve cutting people up?”

“Would you like it to involve that?” Shuu asked, “That’d be better, honestly.”

“No, I was just kidding,” Yuuya replied with a sigh, “What were you going to do?”

“I don’t know, let’s watch a movie or something,” Shuu replied as he walked over to the TV drawers, “What do you kids usually do anyway?”

“Yeah, pretty much that.”

“Have you ever watched…” He dug around the DVD boxes inside, so it was silent for a while – “Ring?”

“I’ll watch anything,” Yuuya replied as he put the pasta on two plates, then walked over to Shuu.  

 

So Shuu put the DVD on the player, pressed play, and then went up to Yuuya and snuggled close to him while grabbing a plate of pasta.

The story had a pretty basic storyline, really. There’s a cursed video and whoever watches it will die within seven days, and some detective is investigating it. The video had some pretty scary images –  _ creepy, _ Yuuya thought,  _ but I’ve seen worse. _

Shuu himself seemed to be doing just fine, although he was basically hugging Yuuya’s arm and eating at the same time. Yuuya couldn’t really imagine Shuu being scared by this though, considering the things he does on a daily basis.

Anyway, the investigation goes on, and now she was trying to convince her ex not to watch it – 

Suddenly Shuu grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

“What’s wrong?” Yuuya asked, “You don’t like it?”

Shuu only shook his head as he inched closer to Yuuya.

“What, don’t tell me you’re scared, Iwamine-sensei?”

Shuu didn’t say anything as he continued eating the pasta – Yuuya couldn’t help but wonder if that was a silent affirmation on Shuu’s part. 

But if he was indeed scared, then that is… unexpected. Isn’t he the epitome of a horror movie villain, after all?

 

“...I don’t want to see that guy die,” Shuu muttered, “His name is Ryuuji too, it scares me.”

Yuuya only nodded solemnly.

 

“Anyway, let’s watch something else,” Shuu said as he looked up to Yuuya, “Unless you have a better suggestion for something we should do.”

“I don’t know, wanna go out?”

“Where to?”

Yuuya shrugged, “Up to you, I guess. Just like, hang out for a bit. 

“Let’s just stay here,” Shuu suggested, “Go get me something to drink. There’s sake in the fridge.”

Yuuya only sighed as he got up, walked over to the fridge, and took out the bottle of sake as Shuu requested. 

“You’re going to stay the night, yeah?”

“I said yes already.”

Shuu shrugged, “Just making sure.”

“I mean, it’s not like you’d let me go even if I asked nicely.”

“Good call,” Shuu replied, “You know me so well, Yuuya.”

Yuuya poured Shuu some sake into a glass and handed it to him, and Shuu drank it all in one gulp. 

“Goodness, chill out.”

“You should try some too,” Shuu said, “Have you ever drunk before?”

“Of course, though not a lot.”

“Well then come here,” Shuu invited, “Let’s get wasted, end up rambling about something totally irrelevant, and wake up tomorrow morning with no memory of it at all.”

“Actually, I’d rather not…”

“Well,” Shuu sighed as he poured himself another glass, “Doesn’t matter to me.”

 

It was pretty quiet for the next few minutes, with the occasional clings of the bottles and glasses. 

Shuu had been… surprisingly quiet, although it was pretty obvious he was getting more and more drunk. Yuuya had chosen to stay sober, mainly because he was just waiting for Shuu to start rambling about some hot info – but seems like Shuu’s not that kind of drunk. So far he’s just been taking Yuuya’s hand and stroking it, sometimes playing with his fingers – opening them, and then closing them, and putting them near his face.

He’s sleepy at this point – he was still leaning on Yuuya, but not only was he quieter, he had closed his eyes, and his breathing has slowed down.  

“Iwamine-sensei?” Yuuya called, gently stroking his head – “Are you… asleep?”

“...what, am I heavy or something?”

“N… no!” Yuuya replied immediately, “I… I’m sorry!”

 

“You’re a funny one, Yuuya,” Shuu muttered, “You just… remind me so much of him.”

“You mean Dr. Kawara?”

“It doesn’t even make sense,” Shuu went on, “You two are… nothing like each other. What drew you to me? I don’t deserve this.”

“Of course you do, Iwamine-sensei…”

“You just won’t leave me to be lonely and miserable, huh?” Shuu sighed, “It’s just… so strange. I… I want to push you away – I don’t need someone to replace him. I don’t want anyone to. But I… I can’t help it.

“You won’t disappear too, right, Yuuya?”

“Iwamine-sensei…”

Yuuya couldn’t help but feel the overwhelming urge to say ‘yes’, but at the same time, he knew damn well the answer should be ‘no’. After all, his task was to turn Shuu into the authorities at some point…

But looking at Shuu like this, just how vulnerable and lonely he was.

 

Shuu wrapped his hand around Yuuya and pulled him closer – 

“Am I not making a whole lot of sense?”

“W… well…”

Shuu leaned in then, pressing a kiss on Yuuya’s lips. Yuuya was too surprised to do anything at first, but then he decided to just close his eyes and let Shuu be. 

His kiss was… calm, tender. For a few seconds Yuuya just sat back and enjoyed it – 

And then Shuu pulled away, looking up at Yuuya solemnly.

“You don’t hate me, do you, Yuuya?”

“Why would I?”

Shuu let out a faint chuckle as he rested his head on Yuuya’s chest again. 

“That’s… a relief,” Shuu muttered, “I… really needed to hear that.”

“You okay, Iwamine-sensei?”

Shuu was silent for a while, looking away into the distance – 

And then a few seconds later, he started sobbing softly.


	4. Chapter 4

Yuuya was counting the number of medicines left in the cabinet when he heard the window crash. 

“Wallenstein! Where did he go?”

“Oh, Anghel, it’s you,” Yuuya greeted casually, “Iwamine-sensei’s out eating lunch.”

“Knight of the Violet Rose!” Anghel turned to Yuuya dramatically, “You… need to be careful!”

“About what?”

“I can sense it!” Anghel pointed at Yuuya, “You’re going to be taken by Wallenstein’s devil spores! You need to stay away from him?”

_ Ah, classic Anghel, not making a lot of sense… _

Yuuya noticed then that Anghel had a wound on his arm – did he get that from breaking the window or something else?

“You’ll need that wound cleaned,” Yuuya said as he took out a bottle of alcohol, “Sit down on the chair or something and don’t move your arm too much…”

“No, but really! You need to stay away from Wallenstein, lest you become corrupted!”

“Well, I work here now, so I’ll have to see him every day,” Yuuya replied casually, “Did you warn Hiyoko as well?”

“Edel Blau knows well of the dangers and tries to stay away, but you don’t seem to fear him!”

“You know, Anghel, I’m the defender of justice of Saint Pigeonation’s, I’m sure I can handle it,” Yuuya said as he started dabbing alcohol on the wound – a few seconds later Anghel was groaning in pain while holding his arm. 

“Yeah, just stay still for a little bit. It’s not a deep wound, so don’t worry.”

Yuuya threw away the bloody cotton balls, and then started wrapping the bandages around Anghel’s arm. 

“Be more careful next time, okay?”

“You have to stay away from Wallenstein! Don’t let him corrupt your soul!”

“I’ll be fine, Anghel, really.”

“Okay!” Anghel finally headed for the window where he came from, “But heed my warning to you!”

And so he hopped out of the window… and also the infirmary. Yuuya only sighed as he picked up the form for maintenance request.

~•~

When he first started out this mission, Leone’s task for him was to “report anything suspicious” – and really, nothing Shuu did was not suspicious. Over time he’d just learnt to roll with it – perhaps the terrifying thing was no matter what Shuu did, it just seemed normal to Yuuya. 

Recently he’d been spending some time outside the lab – Yuuya could never find him even when he walked around the school, but knowing Shuu, he probably wouldn’t suddenly go home in the middle of the day either. 

Maybe a secret room or something, but within the school?

 

Yuuya was seriously considering opening a drawer on Shuu’s desk when he suddenly heard the door open, and Shuu walked in with Ryouta following him. 

“Hey, Ryouta,” Yuuya greeted, “Not feeling too hot?”

“Yeah… sorry to trouble you two like this.”

“That’s fine! Helping students is what the infirmary is for anyway!”

As Ryouta sat down on the bed, Shuu walked over to the cabinets and took out a bottle of pills. From there he took exactly two pills, while Yuuya prepared a glass of water. 

“You did eat lunch, didn’t you?” Shuu asked as he handed Ryouta the pills, “Here you go.”

“Thanks, Iwamine-sensei…”

“And if you don’t feel too well, you can just stay here and lay down for a bit,” Yuuya said, “Don’t push yourself too hard, okay, Ryouta?”

“Ah… thank you, senpai.”

Yuuya noticed then that Shuu had once again walked out of the infirmary, and closed the door shut. Where could he be going to?

“Anyway…”  _ I’ll think about it later.  _ “Is Sakuya doing well?”

“Yeah, everyone’s getting along okay with him, except Okosan, I guess,” Ryouta replied, “You seem to care a lot about him despite how he treats you, senpai.”

“Well, who else is going to help him through his high school years if not his sexy and suave brother?”

“I guess…”

 

Ryouta ended up not leaving for… quite a while. 

He seemed really pale too, and asked to return to class a few times, but Yuuya stopped him out of concern. 

“Just take your time,” Yuuya said, closing the curtains around Ryouta’s bed, “You can take a quick nap if you want to.”

“But it’s time for…”

“I’m sure your teacher will understand,” Yuuya reassured, “I’ll get Iwamine-sensei, give me a second, okay?”

 

Yuuya closed the infirmary door behind him as he looked around, trying to find Shuu – but he was nowhere to be seen. 

“Hey, Yuuya!”

Yuuya turned around, and saw Hiyoko walking towards him. 

“Is Ryouta inside?”

“Yeah, he’s not feeling too well. I’m going to look for Iwamine-sensei.”

Hiyoko immediately opened the door and walked into the infirmary, so Yuuya turned to walk back inside. 

 

Hiyoko slowly approached Ryouta, who seemed to be asleep at this point. 

“Yeah, he’s not looking too good,” Hiyoko remarked, “I guess I should just take him home when he wakes up.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Hiyoko let out a small cough as she sat down on the chair –

“You watch over him, and I’ll go get Iwamine-sensei?”

“Sounds good.”

Yuuya turned around to leave once again. 

He started walking down the hallway, towards the science labs. Maybe he was just hanging out there, although at the same time he doesn’t really have any reason to be there. 

He went there anyway, finding pretty much nobody in the hallway. Class is going on right now, after all, so they’re all probably –

“What are you doing here?”

Yuuya quickly turned around, surprised to find Shuu already standing behind him. 

“Goodness, Iwamine-sensei, don’t scare me like that!”

“Were you looking for me?”

“Well, yeah. Ryouta’s not doing very well.”

“I thought so,” Shuu replied as he walked towards the infirmary, so Yuuya followed him –

 

“Where were you anyway, Iwamine-sensei?”

“...that’s none of your business.”

“Okay,” Yuuya replied with a shrug, “You know, not that I expected an answer.”

Shuu turned around to look at Yuuya – something was different in his expression, or is it?

No, he definitely looked like he was… guilty.

“...I was just in the lab looking for something.”

“...that’s fine,” Yuuya replied, “Let’s just go back for now.”

 

The infirmary was quiet as they both entered. Yuuya immediately walked over to the bed Ryouta was supposedly in – 

– he was immediately greeted by the sight of Hiyoko, collapsed on the floor with some blood trickling from her mouth.

 

Yuuya stood there frozen for a few seconds – 

Not that he’s never seen a dead body before, but Hiyoko was fine, what, ten minutes ago? And now…

 

Shuu walked over to her and stooped down to feel her pulse.

“She’s dead,” Shuu declared as he opened her eyes and shone a little flashlight on it – “Yeah, definitely. Just as I expected.”

“Just as… you expected?”

 

Yuuya let out a forced laughter then –

Who was he trying to fool, after all? This is Iwamine Shuu, world-famous pathologist and Hawk Party Researcher, who clearly aims to kill all humans.

No matter how he shows compassion, vulnerability, at the end, he’s not innocent. 

 

“...you’ve been planning this?”

Shuu nodded.

“B… but how did she… how did you…”

“I’ll explain them later,” Shuu replied, “Will you help me hide her for now? We don’t need Ryouta waking up to this.”

Yuuya immediately remembered about Ryouta and turned to him – he was still sleeping, apparently unaware of what was going on.

But Shuu had a point – it wouldn’t be a pretty if he was to wake up to something like this. Yuuya definitely wouldn’t want this to happen to him.

 

Yuuya bent down and picked up her body, while Shuu opened the curtains to the other bed so that Yuuya could lay her down there.

“Thank you, Yuuya.”

Yuuya turned to look at Shuu – 

 

He just… felt sick to his stomach.

He knew Shuu was dangerous all along, and yet… and yet he’d gone along with it, perhaps even allowed this to happen.

 

“Are you okay?” Shuu asked, gently cupping Yuuya’s cheek, “Sorry I didn’t tell you about this.”

“No, I’m not! How could you…”

“Don’t be so loud,” Shuu cut, “Let Ryouta sleep a little more.”

Yuuya only sighed as he looked away bitterly – 

He just couldn’t stand being with Shuu right now – he felt so much anger, so much hatred, and yet... and yet he felt powerless, like he couldn’t act on it.

He could feel something well up in him that needed to be released, but not like this, not in front of Shuu.

“It’ll be okay,” Shuu whispered, “Just help me out in this, and everything will be fine.”

“No, it’s not fine,” Yuuya shot back, “Hiyoko, she’s… she’s the human ambassador. The agreement was that–”

“This is all for the greater good,” Shuu interjected again, “Everything will be sorted out, I promise.”

“But…”

“Yuuya.”

Shuu leaned in close, his forehead and nose touching Yuuya’s; Shuu’s hand reached down to take Yuuya’s hand, holding them tightly.

“I’ve worked on this for ten years now,” Shuu whispered, “Please, just this once, okay?”

“But…”

“Are you going to deny me the fruits of my labor?”

“Iwamine-sensei,” Yuuya said, looking into Shuu’s eyes – “This… this isn’t right.”

“Just this once,” Shuu pleaded, “You do care about me, don’t you, Yuuya?”

 

Yuuya damn well knew the answer he was supposed to say is ‘no’, but…

Something about the tone of voice Shuu was pleading in, something about the desperation and pain in his face...

 

“Please, Yuuya?”

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

“Ahh…”

Ryouta yawned as he slowly got up from the bed. Yuuya turned around, alert, but still gave Ryouta a smile.

“You finally woke up, Ryouta-kun.”

“Ah… I fell asleep…”

“That’s fine, Ryouta-kun, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s…” Yuuya turned to look at the clock, “Three PM.”

“Oh! I slept through the rest of school!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Iwamine-sensei told your teachers,” Yuuya reassured, “Hiyoko came here to see you, but then she left because you were sleeping.”

“Ah… I’ll call her later, I guess,” Ryouta said as he got up, “I’m almost late for work, so I have to go…”

“Take care, alright Ryouta? Don’t get sick.”

“Thank you so much, senpai!”

And so Ryouta gathered all his belongings and left. 

 

The past few hours have been nothing but uncomfortable silence between him and Shuu. 

Shuu was working on something with Hiyoko’s body – at this point Yuuya didn’t really want to know. 

He just stood there waiting and looking away from the body, and occasionally handing Shuu the things he asked for. 

He thought he’d be a lot more disturbed than this, but apparently not. 

“Come with me.”

Shuu gently tapped Yuuya on the shoulder, and Yuuya almost jumped away in response. Shuu turned to look at him, concerned –

“Are you okay?”

“Y… yeah,” Yuuya said, “Where are we going to?”

“Just going home. Don’t you want to?”

“Of course, but… it’s just…”

_ How can he just act like this is something normal? _

_ Nothing about this is right. Hiyoko died and he definitely had something to do with it, and yet, he’s… behaving normally. Just… _

“...how could you?” Yuuya asked, “What… what are we doing now?”

“Well, we’re just…”

“I understand this is part of… some elaborate plan of yours, but…” Yuuya sighed, “Iwamine-sensei, I just… don’t get it.”

“Do you have to?” Shuu asked – “You’re an accomplice now, anyway.”

Yuuya stopped for a second upon hearing that –

Whether or not he liked it, what Shuu said was true. 

 

“Also, you can just call me Shuu, you know?” Shuu said with a little smile – “I mean… you don’t have to be so formal around me.”

~•~

Shuu took off his bloody gloves and stashed his blood-stained lab into a trash bag. 

“Why don’t you help me take this to the incinerator, Yuuya?”

Yuuya nodded as he took the bag from Shuu’s hands, and walked out of the infirmary. 

 

The school was already empty at this hour, and walking around the empty halls felt… strange. 

Yuuya couldn’t help but just feel like he needed to get out of here, the sooner the better. He felt trapped for some reason –

Maybe he was just nervous that Hiyoko died. 

What did Shuu do to the body anyways, and where did it go?

...now that he thought about it, Yuuya decided that might not be important. 

 

He was just heading to the school backyard when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around –

“Sakazaki!”

Leone was passing through, carrying a bucket and a mop. 

“Taking out the trash?”

“Yeah! You know, just the usual,” Yuuya replied, trying to sound as normal as possible –

The series of events that has unfolded around him was definitely absurd. 

“Okay, I guess. See you around.”

As Leone walked away, the thought crossed Yuuya’s mind –

_...how will I tell him about this? _

_ ~•~ _

It felt like an eternity before they finally arrived at Shuu’s apartment. 

Yuuya walked in and put his things on the floor, before he threw himself onto the couch. Shuu started to make his way to the bathroom, as he usually would –

“You’ll fix us dinner, won’t you, Yuu–”

“No,” Yuuya answered sharply.

Shuu turned to look at Yuuya, surprised – Yuuya suddenly felt guilty to have answered like that.

“I mean, I…” Yuuya sighed and shook his head, “Sorry.”

“Are you okay? You seem tense,” Shuu asked as he walked over to Yuuya instead, “You can tell me what’s wrong.”

_ Everything,  _ Yuuya wanted to reply,  _ I shouldn’t have allowed this to happen. _

“You seem tense,” Shuu remarked as he gently caressed Yuuya’s face, “Was it because of Tosaka?”

“I need to go home tonight.”

“Why?” Shuu asked, “I mean, you’ve spent most of the week here anyways.”

“Yeah, that’s why,” Yuuya replied, “I need… just some time alone. I want time to think.”

Shuu looked at him for a few seconds without saying anything – 

Yuuya couldn’t read his expression, for some reason, but he had a feeling Shuu was not that excited about this arrangement.

Finally, Shuu let out a sigh as he got up from the couch.

“I suppose you’ve helped me a lot today,” Shuu said, “Let’s just order something for dinner, what about that?”

“...whatever.”

“Let me make you some tea,” Shuu said – Yuuya turned around, and he could see Shuu heating some water in the kettle. “It’ll help you relax.”

“That’s not the point…”

“Do you have any preference?” Shuu asked, ignoring him – “I personally like chamomile, since it helps me sleep better at night.”

Yuuya could only sigh as he turned to look away – seems like Shuu wouldn’t let him off the hook about this one…

_...but why? Because I might tell the police? _

A few minutes later, Shuu came by with a cup of tea, and placed it in front of Yuuya.

“Tell me if you need anything else, okay?” Shuu asked gently, “I’ll take a shower, and then we can decide on what to eat.”

Without even waiting for a ‘yes’ from Yuuya, Shuu left.

 

Yuuya drank some of the tea as he leaned back on the couch.

A lot sure had happened today, but… Shuu sure didn’t seem to care. He’s been acting like everything is normal – 

But Yuuya just couldn’t think of it that way. Hiyoko… is dead, and clearly whatever ‘plan’ Shuu had had something to do with it – 

All this whirlwind of events sure was making him dizzy.

_ Is it… gonna go on like this? _

_ I am an accomplice now, whether or not I want to be one, but is there really no way out of it? _

 

Yuuya was asleep by the time Shuu walked out of the bathroom. He sat down next to Yuuya as he looked at the cup – seems like Yuuya had drunk a good amount of tea. He took off Yuuya’s glasses and placed them on the table – 

Shuu gently combed Yuuya’s hair with his fingers – he seemed to be sleeping pretty peacefully, and Shuu knew for a fact he shouldn’t wake up for… a few hours, at least. 

“Thank you, Yuuya,” Shuu whispered, “I love you.”

  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Yuuya woke up to find Shuu sleeping next to him, resting his head on Yuuya’s shoulder.

He only sighed as he slowly got up and walked to the kitchen. Maybe he was just so tired after everything that happened yesterday that he randomly fell asleep on the couch – 

It was five in the morning, and Yuuya was quietly amazed by how well he’s slept.

 

It was a strange feeling, but…

Shuu’s face when he was asleep had … almost a childlike innocence to it.

 

Yuuya only sighed as he shook his head –

_He’s killed people, Yuuya. You’re not supposed to sympathize with him._

 

... _anyway._

_I was determined to go home last night, but ended up falling asleep here…_

He gently moved Shuu’s head, resting it onto the couch as to not wake him up – Shuu let out a little grunt, which scared Yuuya for a little, before he went back to what seemed like a sound sleep.

 

He got up, and walked towards the kitchen –

He could try to prepare breakfast now, although it’s still awfully early in the morning. He opened the fridge – all the things to make pancakes were still there; butter, flour, milk…

He took out the ingredients and laid them on the counter as he usually would – 

In the corner of his eye, he spotted the knife set sitting in the corner.

 

There’s nothing special about it, really. It’s always been sitting there, and Yuuya knew he used it quite a few times when cooking here as well, but…

 

Yuuya took out a knife from the block –

It felt cold and heavy in his hand.

It was almost… terrifying to hold the knife in his hand like this. He ran his finger across the edge of the blade – 

  


Yuuya quietly walked back towards Shuu, standing in front of him –

He could make a quick work of this. Cut his jugular swiftly and try his best to make it not hurt, so that even if he was to bleed to death, at least he’ll be asleep…

Yes, that probably shouldn’t be too difficult. Yuuya figured he’d know when he did it.

Shuu’s neck was pretty much open, save for the few strands of hair that had fallen around his neck to his shoulder. His neck was slender, pale as the rest of his body – 

So vulnerable.

Yuuya raised his knife while his other hand gently touched Shuu’s neck to keep him from moving –

He could faintly feel the pulse under his fingers, the warmth of Shuu’s body seeping into his fingers – 

  


Yuuya dragged the bag containing the egg out into the woods, while holding a bat in the other hand.

He placed the bag by a tree, so that now he could grip the bat with both hands.

“...sorry.”

 

_That child probably can grow up to be someone of significance, someone who could achieve great things._

_But I’ve decided, with my own two hands, that he doesn’t deserve that life, and I denied it to him before he even had a chance to live it._

_Who was I… who am I, that I am allowed to do that?_

 

“Yuuya?”

Yuuya snapped back into reality as he realized Shuu had woken up, and was grabbing his hand that was holding the knife.

“Yuuya, what’s…”

 

Yuuya immediately backed away, dropping the knife on the floor. Shuu seemed surprised at this, but he didn’t move from his seat.

“Yuuya?” Shuu asked, reaching out his hand – “It’s okay, I’m not…”

“No,” Yuuya replied as he turned around, “Get away from me. Don’t touch me.”

“Yuuya, I’m…”

Yuuya immediately turned around, running for the nearest door – one that headed to Shuu’s bedroom. He slammed the door behind him and locked it as fast as he could.

 

Shuu knocked on the door urgently, tried to open it – but it seemed like Yuuya had locked it from the inside.

“Yuuya?” he shouted, “Open the door, please.”

Yuuya didn’t answer. Did he not… hear the door, perhaps?

Shuu knocked again, louder this time.

“Yuuya!” he yelled, before he realized that it would probably just scare him – 

“Look, Yuuya, I’m sorry. You can kill me if you want, I… I won’t be mad, promise.”

Still no reply.

Shuu knocked on the door again, less loudly this time.

“Yuuya, please, just… open the door,” Shuu pleaded desperately, “I’m sorry. I… I won’t hurt you.

“You’re mad at me about what happened yesterday, right? I understand you’d want me dead. You’re also a spy, after all.”

Yuuya still gave no reply.

“...if you open the door, I’ll… give the knife back to you, what about that?” Shuu asked – “Or… I can kill myself for you, if you don’t want to do it. Will that be better?”

Shuu heard a click then, and the door opened in front of him.

“How could you say something like that?”

“I… I’ve done everything I needed to do,” Shuu replied, “Dr. Kawara’s last request to me was to fulfill whatever wish Ryouta had, and he wanted world peace.”

“You’re trying to tell me you’ve given him that?”

“I implanted the Charon virus in him. Any human that came in contact with him would die, and…”

“Oh, and you think that’s going to bring peace?” Yuuya asked angrily – “How do you think he’s going to react to Hiyoko’s death, huh?”

“But only one species can reign supreme, and that’s how we achieve peace. Thus all humans must die, and I’m… simply trying to accelerate that process.”

“I can’t believe this,” Yuuya replied, “You Hawks are fucking murderers.”

Shuu fell silent, and so did Yuuya – Shuu looked down to the ground, while Yuuya just stared at him.

“Does that mean you hate me now, Yuuya?”

“I mean…”

“I mean, that’s fine,” Shuu replied, “It’s just that… this is something I’ve worked on so many years, for Dr. Kawara, without thinking about anything else, and…

“Now that you’re here, I thought I finally would get to be selfish, and I’d like to do it with you.

“Have you ever thought about that, Yuuya?” Shuu asked with a little smile, “You and I are the same, aren’t we?

“We’re just both slaves to a higher purpose. Be it the destruction of the human race, or just trying to fulfill someone’s request.”

Shuu gently stepped closer towards Yuuya, taking both of his hands.

“What do you want from me?”

“I don’t know,” Shuu replied, “Would be nice to have a point of constancy in my life. That’s what Dr. Kawara used to be, since he’s always there for me everyday, encouraging me, helping me, but then he was taken away from me…

“You too, Yuuya, came to the infirmary everyday to help me,” Shuu said with a smile, “I don’t care what your motivation is.”

“Even if I’m an enemy, is that what you mean?” Yuuya asked, “What if one day I suddenly switch sides and stab you in the back?”

“I’m fine with it,” Shuu said, sounding sincere, “I told you I’d kill myself for you, didn’t I, Yuuya?”

Yuuya was silent for a few seconds, staring deeply into Shuu’s eyes.

“What, you don’t trust me?” Shuu asked, “I worked to grant Dr. Kawara’s request for ten years, is that not good enough evidence for you?”

Yuuya remained silent, still staring at Shuu, as if deep in thought –

“You’re not being selfish,” Yuuya replied, “You’re just finding someone else to cling onto, and in this case, it just happens to be me.”

“You think so?”

Yuuya nodded with a sigh.

A few seconds later, he let go of Shuu’s hands, and wrapped his arms around Shuu’s body.

Shuu was surprised with the sudden intimacy, but… it certainly wasn’t bad.

Yuuya raised his hand to Shuu’s head, pushing it so that Shuu’s head could lean on his shoulder, and ruffled his hair.

“...stop doing this to yourself, Shuu. You’re just hurting yourself.

“I don’t care if this is how you’ve lived your life till now, it’s… not right.”

“Then make it right for me,” Shuu replied, “You’ll still stay with me, right, Yuuya?”

 


	7. Chapter 7

“Here.”

Yuuya put down a plate of pancakes in front of Shuu, then poured some syrup on it. Shuu looked up at Yuuya with a smile then.

“Thank you, Yuuya.”

“I should get ready to go to school,” Yuuya said, “Can I borrow your bathroom?”

“There’s no need to go to school today,” Shuu replied with a reassuring smile, “Get yourself some pancakes and sit with me.”

“But…”

“Just do it.”

Yuuya nodded before proceeding to get some pancakes off the pan and put it on another plate for himself.

“You don’t mind staying home all day, right?”

“I mean, I need to report to my boss and all…”

Shuu only smiled as he gently ruffled Yuuya’s hair. 

“You’re such a good boy, Yuuya,” Shuu praised, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take care of it. Just stay here with me, okay?”

Shuu leaned in, giving Yuuya a kiss on the cheek. 

 

Suddenly they heard someone knocking on the door, and they both turned to look. 

“Who’s that?”

“Let me deal with it,” Shuu said as he got up to the door, “Hide in my room or something, will you?”

“But…”

“I’ll deal with it.”

With a sigh, Yuuya nodded and got into the room.

 

Shuu opened the door, and the first person he saw was Nanaki, greeting him with a smile.

“Good morning, Iwamine-sensei~”

“What business have you got here?”

“Oh, it’s not really me,” Nanaki replied – Shuu noticed then that a few other people were following behind him, wearing the Hawk party emblem. 

“...what’s going on here?”

“I just figured that you and Sakazaki-kun might be getting a little too… intimate, you know?” Nanaki said, still smiling – “So I thought I’d tell your boss about it.”

Before Shuu could do anything else, two of the agents had grabbed him by the arm, and the remaining four immediately went inside the apartment.

“Wait!” Shuu yelled, trying to wrench his way out – but clearly, he didn’t have much strength compared to the two men.

“Why have you been hiding him?” one of them asked – “Clearly this boy is a threat to your own security.”

“No! He’s…”

“Are you trying to argue that he is on our side, doctor?”

“At least, I was… going to try to persuade him!”

Shuu turned to Nanaki now – he could feel the anger rising in his chest.

“Why did you do this?”

“Ah, I can’t really explain my reasons here,” Nanaki replied, with the smile that suddenly seemed way more sinister – “But you took away someone important to me, Isa, so think of it as revenge.”

“What do you…”

Shuu was distracted again as he heard a crash, and when he turned around, it seemed like the agents had broken into the room. 

“Look, I’ll take responsibility,” Shuu told the agent holding him, “Just let him go. Please.”

He turned to look at Shuu, and then, without saying a word, turned to look away.

Yuuya tried to fight back – Shuu could see him punching the men trying to grab him, at some point trying to go to the kitchen to get knives – but he was outnumbered to start with, and an agent easily wrapped his arm around Yuuya’s throat and tried to strangle him.

“Let him go!” Shuu screamed – 

He suddenly felt a surge of power through his body, and was somehow able to free himself from the grasp of the two men. He rushed inside, trying to get to Yuuya, but immediately someone had caught up to him and pushed him down to the floor. Shuu tried to get up again, only to have the person step on his back, forcing him to stay down.

 

At this point, Yuuya had grabbed the man’s arms with both his hands, trying to pry his hands away – but it was obvious he was losing the struggle, with his face turning pale and his breaths getting more frantic.

 

“Don’t do this to him!” Shuu screamed desperately, “He doesn’t have anything to do with this! I’ll take all the responsibility!”

The man strangling Yuuya shot a glance at Shuu for a second, and only gave a sigh.

“Sorry, doctor, the fact is you have worked with the enemy,” he replied, “You may be forgiven, because you’ve helped us accomplish so much, but this kid here is gonna have to go.”

“Kill me instead,” Shuu pleaded, “This is all my fault. Please.”

The man didn’t do anything, though, and in fact only seemed to tighten his grip on Yuuya – 

 

Shuu just couldn’t bear to watch Yuuya like that, desperately gasping for air while his legs kicked with what little strength they had left.

_ This is all my fault. I was the one who asked him to be here, he… he doesn’t deserve this. _

“Please,” Shuu pleaded frantically – “Let me die instead. He did nothing wrong.”

“How can you be so sure of that, doctor?”

“He… he hasn’t sold us out to the Hawks yet. He also helped me with the Charon virus implantation,” Shuu replied, “Just… let him go, please, I’m begging you.”

The man looked at Yuuya for a few seconds, trying to decide if he really should listen to Shuu – finally, he only sighed as he loosened his grip. 

Yuuya fell to the floor, his body limp and clearly drained of energy. Shuu immediately tried to reach him, if not for the man still stepping on him.

Another man took out a gun then, pressing the muzzle against the back of Yuuya’s head.

“Sakazaki, right?” he asked – “Does this mean there are more Dove agents within the school?”

“Well, if the school is addled with you Hawks, why can’t Doves be there?”

“Who is it that you report to?”

Yuuya chuckled weakly, “My ghost will tell you that.”

Yuuya could hear the gun being cocked behind him – but for some reason, he felt no fear at all. Probably because he was keeping something worse, and bigger?

“Don’t do this, Yuuya!” Shuu yelled, “They’re… going to kill you! Just answer them and come with me!”

“Some secrets will just need to be kept until I die,” Yuuya replied, “No way around that. Shoot me and get it over with.”

“No! Give him back, give him back!”

Yuuya turned to Shuu with a smile then.

“Shuu, it’ll be fine. I’ve always been ready for this.”

“Yuuya, don’t do this to me,” Shuu cried, “Please.”

Yuuya only chuckled as the man behind him pulled the trigger.

 

“Let your guard down for one second, and you’ll lose your head.”

Yuuya only watched as Leone finished assembling a rifle, and showed it to Yuuya.

“Did you see how I do it?” he asked, before taking the rifle apart again and handing him the parts – “Now you do it.”

Yuuya nodded as he started working.

“Remember, kid,” Leone said, “We’re just parts of an entire unit. Totally replaceable. SO try to not get replaced, yeah?”

“You mean, replaced when dead?”

“What else could I mean, kid.”

 

_...well. _

_ I guess at the end, my life never had that much meaning to it. _

~•~

Shuu gently cradled Yuuya’s head in his arms, brushing his hair off his face.

“Leave him. We’ll take care of the body later.”

Shuu only shook his head though, then leaned over and pressed his face against Yuuya’s.

“Doctor, we haven’t got all day.”

“Go away.”

“Doctor, either you come with us, or we’ll have to kill you,” the man said, “Everyone is suspecting that you may be working with the Doves, and unless you–”

“I don’t care. Kill me then.”

 


End file.
